Top Growing Occupations

Today, the Skills & Labour Market Research Unit in SOLAS published a new report, “Shifting Sands Navigating the patterns emerging in the Irish labour market post-COVID-19”. The report examines changes in the workforce landscape in Ireland and includes a spotlight on the top growing occupations

SOLAS is the Further Education and Training Authority in Ireland. The Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in SOLAS is a central data gathering, analytical and research resource to monitor the supply and demand of skills in Ireland’s labour market. The Unit supports the work of SOLAS, the National Skills Council as well as other government bodies. The National Skills Bulletin, published annually, is the Unit’s key output, summarising labour market trends at occupational level and identifying skills shortages and difficult-to-fill vacancies.

Top Growing Occupations

This report includes a list of Top Growing Occupations which we thought we’d take a look. Are you looking to start your career in a growing industry or maybe you’re looking to upskill within that industry or perhaps, like many, you’re looking to change industries and looking for a fresh start. The list is a great insight into top growing occupations and we provide you with links to all the courses you need to be able to get into the industry and get the job you’re looking for.

According to the report, Top Growing Occupations are those that show a large increase in market share, which demonstrates an increasing importance in today’s economy and makes these occupations good bets for job-seekers.

For each of these occupations, the list includes the top 5 skills requested by employers.

Top occupations can be found across an array of industries, including Business Management and Operations, Manufacturing and Production and Healthcare.

Common skills across these occupations include customer service, budgeting, project management and data related skills.

Industry	Occupation	Skills
Transportation	Delivery Driver	Customer Service, Forklift Operation, Product Sales, Sorting, Heavy Lifting
Construction, Extraction, and Architecture	Electrician	Electrical Work, Wiring, Predictive / Preventative Maintenance, Electrical Systems, Customer Service
Transportation	Truck Driver	Haulage, Customer Service, Forklift Operation, Product Sales, Logistics
Healthcare	Nursing Assistant	Patient Care, Working With Patient And/Or Condition: Mental Health, Care Planning, Dementia knowledge, Midwifery
Business Management & Operations	Labourer / Warehouse Worker	Forklift Operation, Cleaning, Sorting, Heavy Lifting, Customer Service

Manufacturing and Production	Manufacturing Machine Operator	Computer Numerical Control (CNC), Machining, Packaging, Cleaning, Engineering Drawings
Hospitality, Food & Tourism	Restaurant / Food Service Supervisor	Customer Service, Restaurant Management, Budgeting, Staff Management, Cost Control
Sales	Retail Sales Associate	Sales, Customer Service, Retail Industry Knowledge, Retail Sales, Product Sales
Manufacturing and Production	Production Worker	Cleaning, Packaging, Quality Assurance and Control, Production Planning, Hand Tools
Information Technology	Data Engineer	SQL, Python, Extraction Transformation and Loading (ETL), Data Engineering, Pipeline (Computing)
Marketing and Public Relations	Product Manager	Product Management, Product Development, Product Sales, Stakeholder Management, Project Management
Sales	Retail Store Manager / Supervisor	Store Management, Retail Industry Knowledge, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Retail Management, Customer Service
Construction, Extraction, and Architecture	Construction Manager	Project Management, Budgeting, Construction Management, Site and Study Management, Customer Service
Planning and Analysis	Medical Scientist	Pathology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Quality Assurance and Control, Haematology
Science and Research	Researcher / Research Associate	User Research, Market Research, Experiments, Data Analysis, Project Management
Maintenance, Repair, and Installation	Repair / Service Technician	Customer Service, Technical Support, Mechanical Engineering, Predictive / Preventative Maintenance, Mechanical Maintenance
Community and Social Services	Social Care Worker	Social Work, Child Protection, Working With Patient And/Or Condition: Mental Health, Care Planning, Family Support
Business Management and Operations	Storage / Distribution Manager	Warehouse Management, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Budgeting, Project Management, Stakeholder Management
Healthcare	Home Health Aide	Care Planning, Senior Care, Meal Preparation, Home Care, Dementia knowledge